There are many contentious issues in medicine, but thyroid treatment remains one of the most controversial.
Most endocrinologists and primary care physicians have been taught that synthetic levothyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid, Unithroid, etc) represents standard of care, ie, the best modern medicine has to offer. The idea that some people may not do that well on this approach comes as a slap in the face. Patients who complain are often categorized as psychosomatic, especially if their blood tests look “normal.”
But some physicians are beginning to consider an alternate approach.
Q. I felt sick and fatigued from levothyroxine, which I took for the last five years.
I am now on Armour thyroid, which I understand is dried pig thyroid. Although my doctor said it is harder to dose, I have not had a problem.
I felt better as soon as I stopped taking levothyroxine and switched to Armour. Armour thyroid seems to be more powerful, judging from its effect on my energy. I have no side effects except feeling better.
A. Many readers, like you, report that they do better on desiccated thyroid than on synthetic levothyroxine (T4) alone.
Genetic Variants
Recent research may explain why. As many as 15 percent of people with underactive thyroid glands have a genetic variation that makes it harder to convert T4 to the active form of the thyroid hormone, T3 (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, March, 2015). These people often find that brain fog and other symptoms are less troublesome when they get T3 along with T4.
Armour thyroid contains both. For more information about the new research and tips on how to manage thyroid treatment successfully, we offer a 25-page downloadable Guide to Thyroid Hormones. You will also find out why the standard TSH test of thyroid function may not be the last word in diagnosis of hypothyroidism.
